Chapter 126 

“Ugh, this isn’t as easy as I thought.”

Alexa scratched her cheek. The magical formula was far more complex and expansive than she’d imagined. Many mages had studied the oath over the years. They had all tried to unravel it in hopes of reclaiming pure Light Magic. Yet none had ever succeeded in fully dismantling it. Jeremiah, whose drawing skills were excellent, had faithfully recreated the original oath sigil on the floor.

“If it were easy, someone would’ve cracked it by now, Alexa. But you’re an exceptional Light Mage, so you might just be the one to do it.”

“Oh, come on…”

My kid’s a genius. Enough of that already. Alexa cleared her throat and refocused on the magical formula. She now understood what the elements placed at the triangle’s points represented. The flaming shape must symbolize the Red Clan, the budding sprout stood for Temperchi, and the crescent moon most likely represented Thersion.

“But I still have no idea what this is…”

Alexa stared intently at the object placed at the very center. It wasn’t any clearly defined shape, but rather a tangle of geometric patterns. Even the mages who had studied the oath hadn’t been able to decipher that part. Lines extended cleanly outward from the center, forming the magic circle. But without identifying what that central element was, the oath had remained unbroken.

‘Hmm… It must be something from this world.’

Alexa turned around slowly. Maybe viewing it from a different angle would reveal something new. When she had rotated about 270 degrees… 

“Wow!”

Alexa gasped. She had figured out what the central object was. And it was no wonder the mages who came before her couldn’t decipher it – because it didn’t exist in this world. No one could’ve recognized it. Perhaps it wasn’t coincidence that Alexa was now sitting here, attempting to unravel this sigil. Maybe it was fate.

Alexa’s eyelids quivered. The object drawn in the center was, strangely enough, a smartphone. Of course no one here would recognize it. It was depicted with impressive detail, and around it, something was written in fine print. 

“That’s Korean.”

The words slipped out of Alexa’s mouth before she could stop them. Thankfully, no one seemed to hear. After quickly scanning her surroundings, Alexa stepped closer to the magic circle.

“ ‘To the me who will return someday’.”

What… does that mean?

“Alexa?”

“It’s written here, in the center. ‘To the me who will return someday’…”

Her heart began to beat uneasily. Alexa pressed a hand against her chest as her pulse began to race wildly. The Korean text wasn’t written in one straight line but spiraled in different directions.

“ ‘I believe you can break this’.”

Han Yu-hee!!! Alexa’s pupils widened. So that was why her heart had been pounding so intensely. She reached out and placed her palm on the sigil.

‘To the me who will return someday. I believe you can break this.’

If that was written here, then the person who created this oath circle was Han Yu-hee – her. Alexa’s lips trembled. That couldn’t be. She had died by accident and ended up in this world. The Grim Reapers had brought her here… to make up for the life she was short on before dying. Her mind was a whirlwind.

“M-Master!”

Alexa raised her hand high, her face pale.

“Alexa?”

“Do we know anything about the Red Clan member who made this oath circle? Are there any records of them? Was anything left behind?”

“Hmm… There were some things left, but they were stored in the Magic Tower. And since it’s in ruins now, no one knows where those records ended up.”

“We could ask Ysildus about that.”

“Ysildus?”

“Yes. He led the operation to take down the Magic Tower and drive out the mages.”

Jeremiah smiled sweetly. He had brought it up on purpose to reveal Ysildus’s true nature to Alexa, but she didn’t react the way he expected. Jeremiah’s carefully planted bait hadn’t landed at all.

“So then, Ysildus would probably know where those records went?”

“Exactly.”

Jeremiah gave a light shrug. Alexa stared hard at the oath sigil. Someone from the past had drawn a smartphone into the center. And that person claimed to be Han Yu-hee. The Han Yu-hee who had lived in Karakter – she, too, was basically another version of Alexa herself. So who was the Han Yu-hee who had traveled to the past? And the one who was here now…

‘Who am I, really?’

Alexa’s lips trembled. Brillia, oblivious to her internal turmoil, brought over a book and set it down in front of her.

It was titled <The Red Clan and the Oath Sigil>.

“Alexa, there are a few remaining books about the Red Clan member who created the oath circle. Since many have studied it over the years. But their opinions are divided. Some claim the one who created the oath sigil and the one who betrayed Lord Dephensores were the same person. Others insist they weren’t.”

Brillia continued her explanation.

“I personally find the first theory more credible.”

“The first theory?”

“Yes. It’s a little odd to say they were the same person. Just look at the oath sigil. Sure, it forces Thersion into submission, but it also restricts the Imperial family.”

“It restrains the Imperial family?”

Alexa and Jeremiah both watched Brillia’s hand gestures closely.

“Here and here, the binding force of the magic circle leans more heavily toward the Imperial family. It’s essentially tethered them to Temperchi. But since this theory is unpopular with the royal faction, it’s best not to bring it up publicly.”

Both Alexa and Jeremiah nodded. Jeremiah’s eyes narrowed. Up until now, he had thought the oath circle merely gave the royal family power over the wolves. But if it actually bound both parties, and even more so, restrained the royal family…?

Those in power would certainly want to hide such a truth. Especially if they were like most of the Temperchi, who were known to use shady methods. But Jeremiah had little interest in the oath circle itself. Since Alexa had resolved to break it, it had to be broken.

“According to this theory, the oath circle binds the Imperial Palace to serve Thersion forever. That would explain why Temperchi Emperors have always been obsessed with crushing Thersion. Secrets like these tend to get passed down through generations.”

“Ah…”

Jeremiah thought this theory might be right. It explained the excessive inferiority complex Temperchi harbored toward Thersion, and their desperate attempts to undo the oath.

‘Servants of the Eternal Wolf God…’

It made him want to rebel even more. Was there Temperchi blood in him, too? His heart thudded wildly in his chest. He pressed his hand down to calm it. Both Alexa and Jeremiah wore grave expressions. Brillia looked back and forth between them before speaking in a slightly brighter tone.

“A theory is just a theory. Don’t take it too seriously. What matters now isn’t the past, is it?”

No. Alexa’s thoughts were firm. What mattered most to her now was uncovering the truth of the past.

“I’m going to see Ysildus! I need to find out what he brought back!”

If her hunch was right… it was likely a smartphone!

* * *

Ysildus wore his usual gentle smile. Today again, the nobles had gathered to waste their breath in yet another round of pointless debate, chattering amongst themselves as they weighed profit and loss.

To Ysildus, they were nothing more than stepping stones to make Jeremiah Emperor. Whatever structure the Imperial Cabinet would take after that, well, that would be Jeremiah’s decision. Promises made now could easily crumble later. Including the promise to put Jeremiah on the throne.

Ysildus kept smiling, hiding his scheming heart. The only reason he even listened to these tedious negotiations was because he had taken over Carlisle’s role.

That smug look… 

[“You win, Ysildus. Do as you please. Make Prince Jeremiah Emperor. Show them your generous side one more time and grant them another chance.”]

Carlisle’s twisted words echoed in his mind.

[“All the troublesome work falls to you now! Since you chose the prince, you also have to secure a support base for him. If you had said you wanted to be Emperor, I would’ve followed your lead, you know?”]

He had dumped all responsibility onto Ysildus and walked away laughing.

‘Ugh… how annoying.’

He was starting to seriously consider killing everyone in this room and building a new empire from scratch when a cute visitor arrived.

“Ysil…? Ack! I didn’t realize you were in a meeting!”

No one had tried to stop her, so of course she wouldn’t know. Ysildus rose from his seat, a sincere smile on his lips.

“Let’s take a short break. Something important has come up.”

He pulled Alexa gently into his arms, holding her close. Before the nobles could even object, the door slammed shut behind them. Leaving the dumbfounded nobles in the room, Ysildus turned to Alexa with a sweet, teasing smile.

“You came to see me? You must’ve missed me, didn’t you, Alexa?”

“Huh…?”

Before she could react, Ysildus leaned in and brushed a light kiss over her lips, looking utterly pleased with himself.

“Wha…?”

“What? Want me to kiss you again?”

No, I did not!!! Alexa quickly clapped her hand over her mouth.

……

T/N: Not the smartphone hahahaha